FEATURE
Increasing Access to Educational Opportunities for Deaf People BY CARRIE LOU GARBEROGLIO Learning is a part of who we are. People learn for many reasons‌ to gain new skills, to challenge ourselves, to explore personal interests, or to advance professionally. Learning can happen every day, inside or outside of classrooms. If learning can happen outside of the classroom, why should we consider getting formal education and training? This is an important question to ask when we think about all the challenges that deaf people face when navigating the school system. Is tutoring available, and accessible? Who pays for interpreters for private schools or training programs?
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Are qualified interpreters available in our area? Are social opportunities accessible? Each deaf student must overcome many challenges in secondary and postsecondary settings. These challenges happen more often for deaf students with diverse backgrounds. Is getting a degree or certificate worth the blood, sweat, and tears? An analysis of national employment data for deaf people shows that, yes, it is worth it to get those degrees and certificates. In the United States, around half of deaf people do not have a job (Garberoglio, Cawthon & Bond, 2016). However, we know that
